I gotta tell you people, this hurricane business is making me a little nervous. Growing up on the Gulf Coast, hurricane tracking was often light-hearted family entertainment. Whenever a tropical storm was imminent, you could find one or the other of us checking the Weather Channel every hour on the hour for updates. My grandfather had — actually, still has — a framed magnetic map of the Southeastern U.S. with tiny ‘hurricane magnets’ strategically positioned. Then, with each new update, you could reposition the ‘hurricane’ by longitude and latitude.
Other kids had board games and alphabet refrigerator magnets. I had the hurricane game.
But for me, Katrina completely changed all that. There were serious hurricanes before Katrina, surely. And much destruction and loss. But, really, I feel like the national response to Katrina, and everything exposed in its aftermath, has made my reaction to storms so much different. I just can’t watch the approach of Gustav tonight and tomorrow and not think a little more seriously about the potential consequences. And, of course, of my family and my friends still in the area. From southeast Texas all the way up to the Florida panhandle, I just have to say that I’m wishing the the best for everyone on the Gulf Coast in the coming days.
Oh, and actually, I meant to post this sooner. I’m not sure how many of you saw this NY Times article, but I found it really inspiring. I was at work when I first read it, but it made the quiet little activist inside me sit up straight and yell “yay!” I e-mailed the activist profiled, Karen Gadbois, via Flickr to send my praise and kudos, and she actually emailed me back. Twice!
So, to push the point further, my heart goes out especially to everyone along the coast who’s already faced the loss of homes and lives, governmental incompetence and apathy, and three difficult years of rebuilding. And who now can do nothing but sit and wait. I wish you all Godspeed through the next week.
